Households in Washington Park earn less than those in 97% of U.S. towns
35.2% of residents live below the poverty line; Illinois has 11.8%. Washington Park grades C− for jobs and income and A for walkability. 8% of workers have no commute at all; Illinois has 16%.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in Washington Park, in a few figures
The jobs in Washington Park pay better than its residents’ jobs
75% of the jobs based in Washington Park pay over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year), against 38% of the jobs Washington Park residents hold. 95% of the jobs here are held by people who live outside Washington Park. The jobs ↓
A lot of Washington Park workers cross into Missouri
26% of Washington Park workers work outside Illinois, the Census survey finds. In the commute data, St. Louis (15%) is one of the top workplaces. The commute map ↓
Commutes from Washington Park are quick
The average trip to work takes 21 minutes, against 28 across Illinois. That’s about 54 hours a year less on the road than the typical Illinois worker. Time on the road ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey; with 991 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
How the Jobs & income grade adds up in Washington Park
On income, poverty and job access, Washington Park is better than 25% of U.S. towns. Job access by car holds Washington Park’s grade up (ahead of 92% of U.S. towns); the poverty rate pulls it down.
Unemployment (19.9%) is left out: Washington Park’s labor force is under 1,000, too few workers for a steady figure.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income and poverty, Washington Park could be anywhere from C− to B.
75% of the jobs in Washington Park pay over $3,333 a month
516 jobs are based in Washington Park.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Washington Park, 2013 → 2023: 423 → 516. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Washington Park’s own residents hold wherever they work.
15% of working residents work in St. Louis
Where Washington Park clocks in
15% of workers
6% of workers
6% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
A commute of about 21 minutes in Washington Park
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Washington Park workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 324 commuters (the 8% who work from home are left out). Across Illinois: 78% drive alone, 7% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Washington Park on a workday afternoon
On a workday 966 residents head out to work, 25 work right here, and 491 people come in from elsewhere.
About 2,000 people are in Washington Park on a workday afternoon, 19% fewer than live here.
0.52 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
How far Washington Park goes to work
About 17% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Washington Park is more walkable than 90% of U.S. towns
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 353 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). Nearly all residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 52% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 14.2 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 96% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 13.5% of Washington Park households have no vehicle (Illinois 11.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 5% of Washington Park’s commuters take a bus or train.
Washington Park is 3,697th of 5,207 U.S. towns of 1,700 to 3,300 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Chevy Chase Village MD | 1,978 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 31 | Prestbury IL | 2,045 | $165K | 1.9% | 0.0% | 0% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 61 | Wayne IL | 2,278 | $162K | 2.1% | 2.7% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 3,695 | Cohocton NY | 2,202 | $65K | 15.0% | 3.9% | 8% | C |
| 3,696 | Lakeview CA | 2,062 | $59K | 31.8% | 5.6% | 5% | C |
| 3,697 | Washington Park IL | 2,461 | $39K | 35.2% | 19.9% | 3% | C− |
| 3,698 | Whitewright TX | 1,749 | $58K | 16.8% | 4.7% | 4% | C− |
| 3,699 | South Shenango Township PA | 1,819 | $67K | 12.7% | 2.8% | 7% | C− |
| … | |||||||
| 5,207 | Lame Deer MT | 1,872 | $24K | 55.8% | 42.2% | 60% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Washington Park, the top three, the last and three more from Illinois.
Washington Park and the towns next door
The biggest share goes to East St. Louis (6%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Washington Park workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington Park | – | C− | A | 21 min | $38,750 |
| Canteen Township | under 3% | C− | A− | 20 min | $49,755 |
| East St. Louis | 6% | C− | A | 23 min | $35,700 |
| East St. Louis Township | under 3% | — | — | 23 min | — |
| Caseyville | 3% | C+ | B | 21 min | $60,669 |
| Fairmont City | under 3% | B− | B− | 17 min | $48,147 |
Same-state neighbors only. East St. Louis Township: not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Washington Park’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Washington Park: questions
What is the median household income in Washington Park?
$38,750 (±$15,104) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Washington Park?
35.2%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Washington Park?
21 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 8% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Washington Park work?
3% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are St. Louis (15%, 8 mi), East St. Louis (6%, 2 mi), Belleville (6%, 10 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Washington Park walkable?
Washington Park is more walkable than 90% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 12.3 out of 20, and 5% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Washington Park without a car?
5% of commuters take transit and 14% of households have no car. 52% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Washington Park, from the people who make the trip.
More of Washington Park
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.